A sculptural and experiential retail space.

Situated on the ground level of the monolithic Beverly Center, this boutique is a bridge between the streets and mall above. In recent years, consumer patterns have drawn people away from the enclosed shopping experience and towards the scenic openness of The Grove or Century City. The flagship and 1st location on the west coast, it revitalizes what once was LA's premier boutique retail destination by offering consumers an inviting gateway through the street level. The architecture and finish of the store piques the curiosity of pedestrians and traffic, while the lighting gives that curiosity depth. It was a great pleasure working with David Adjaye and Marc McQuade of Adjaye Associates on this exceptional project.

Photographic image used with permission from Laurian Ghinitoiu.

Subverting LA's disdain for large scale digital signage, we utilized an inward facing, low-resolution digital screen, which draws in passersby. On the ground lining the rail is a flexible, LED strip that contours the outer walkway and welcomes shoppers inside.

Custom LED monopoints abound in the interior. The fixtures are custom finished to match the hardware and are 90+ CRI, ideal for the retail environment.

All light fixtures are based on a pre-existing architectural grid, which posed a challenge to us, as our design necessarily aligned to the architect’s format. The exposed architecture of the space made the coordination of fixture locations especially difficult.

Compensating for the lack of natural light within the space, we created soft artificial skylights in key display locations and fitting rooms. This overhead soft lighting mimics sunlight and allows shoppers to see items as they would appear outside. Furthermore, the full dimming capability of the artificial skylights allows for levels to adapt to weather and time of day.

Photographic image used with permission from Dror Baldinger.

Photographic image used with permission from Gary Wong.

The lighting is energy efficient and is compliant with California's Title 24 energy code. If you’d like to learn more about the project, it has been featured in Architectural Digest, Vogue, and Surface.